Grading apparatus



- A. H. KOPPEHUD.

GRADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1920.

LET @6330 v Patented May 3L 1921 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

A. H. KOPPERUD.

GRADiNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN5,1920.

1 379 63 39 Patented May 3L 1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ay z

I N V E N TOR A TTOR NE YS ANDERS -H.-KOPPERUD, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

GrRitDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1921.

Application filed January 5, 1920. Serial No. 349,389.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANDERs H. KOPPERUD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In the modern construction of road building, and more particularly State highways, or that type of roadways having a permanent base, such as concrete or the like, and which may or may not be surfaced with other material, suchas asphalt or oil surace dressing, it has been found expedient, owing to the expense attached to the building or construction of such roadways to construct the same as narrow as is consistent with the road travel thereover, and generally this has been of a width sufiicient to permit the passage of two vehicles. This Width of the constructed roadbed is such as to provide what may be termed a central strip of finished roadbed throughout the length of the roadbed, leaving at each side thereof a considerable width of dirt roadway. it has been found, and, in fact, one of the main objections to such constructed roadways is that during the rainy reason the water permeating the; dirt side extensions of the finished roadway creeps or works beneath the bottom or bottom layer of the finished roadway at the side edges thereof and undermines or washes out the dirt bed thereunder and thereby weakens the roadway at the side edges thereof to such an extent that heavy'travel thereover at the side edges of the roadbed will cause a breaking of the finished roadway at such side edges.

This widening or extension of the width of a finished roadbed has heretofore been accomplished by digging trenches at the sides of the finished roadbed. which ditches lave been dug by hand and extend for the entire length of the roadway, and they are approximately two to two and one-half feet in width and of a suitable depth, the cost entailed in the construction of said ditches being considerable, and thereforethe presant invention provide means whereby these ditches for the side extension of the finished roadway may be rapidly, easily and cheaply constructed.

has for its principal object to v supported as at 8 on the The invention has for its principal object to provide an attachment or cutting blade, preferably with guiding means, which is adapted for mounting on a vehicle and whereby the vehicle, as the same is drawn or propelled longitudinally of the roadway, will cut or dig said ditch and remove the earth therefrom, thereby expediting the construction of the ditch and materially reducing the cost thereof by dispensing with a number of laborers. which are necessary when the ditch is dug by hand. To provide a construction particularly adapted for attachment to a road-scraper or grader of the type generally used in road building, thereby enabling the use of the road-scraper in constructing the ditch.

To more fully comprehend the invention,

reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to a conventional form of roadscraper.

Fig. 2 is a view in detail of the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, and illustrating the manner of attaching the same to the road-scraper blade.

Fig. 3 i a view of a modified form of the construction.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of a roadway illustrating a ditch formed at one side thereof and prior to being filled with rock. gravel or the like, which provides an extension for the side of the constructed road.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts1 indicates a supporting frame of any suitable type of road-machine mounted on wheels 2 and preferably of the horse-drawn type. The frame 1 carries a suitable sub-frame 3 capable of rotation on a vertical axis beneath the pivotally mounted draw bar 4, and said sub-frame and draw-bar are adapted to be raised and lowered to vary the relative position of the sulrframe relatively to the bearing points of the wheels 2.

To accomplish this vertical attachment any suitable means may be provided. that form illustrated including a link 5 connected with the arms 6 of a lever 7 pivotally frame hand which lever is retained in its adjusted position by a suitable dog 9, engaging the teeth of a segment 11.

Depending from the under edge of the sub-frame 3 are the blade supporting arms 12 to which are secured, in any suitable manner, the usual scraper blade 13 which is disposed preferably in a horizontal plane, the blade being concaved in form and of any suitable length and width. To the lower edge of the blade, which normally mounts the removable cutting edge, is detachably secured the cutting edge or member 14 of a length considerably shorter than that of the blade 13, and so positioned that the forward end 15 of said cutting edge is removed a short distance from the forward end of the blade 13, and the rear end of said cutting edge terminates approximately midway of the length of said blade 13 thereby providing a cutting edge for the blade which proects a slight distance below the lower edge 16 thereof and the ends of which terminate one adjacent the forward end of the blade and the other approximately midway of the length of the blade.

cutting edge 14 is preferably at its lower corner bent or curled upwardly and forwardly, providing a millboard or member 17 for furrowing the material removed from the ditch during the formation thereof.

At the rear of the front end 15 of the cutting edge 14 is secured a suitable angle plate or member 18, the rear leg 18 of which extends to the rear of the cutting edge and is inclined rearw'ardly from the front end 15, said leg during the forming of the ditch resting on the vertical wall 19 of the road base 20, (Fig. a of the drawings) providing with said wall 19 a guide to assist the operator in making a clear excavation of the material adjacent the highway side wall.

epending downwardly from the blade 13 at a point in advance of the front end 15 of the cutting blade 14 is a depth regulating shoe 21, the lower end of which is upper surface of the road-base 20 adjacentthe vertical ed e 19.

In Fig. 3 have illustrated a modified form of trench forming blade, wherein the depth shoe 21 and the guide leg 18 are formed integral with the body of the blade 14, thus materially reducing the cost of manufacture, and reducing the time consumed in applying and detaching the trench forming blade relative to the member 13.

In operation, reference being had particularly to Figs. 1, 4 and 5 of the drawings, my improved device operates in the following manner :-The sub-frame 3 is rotated on the supporting beam 4 to dispose the scraper 13 and trench forming blade 14 The rear end of the side edge of said rat/aces at the desired. angle, dependent on the width of the trench it is desired to cut, the greater the angle of blade 13 relatively to the direction of travel of the vehicle supporting the same the greater the width of the trench. The lever 6 is operated to lower the trench forming member to rest on the road surface adjacent the side 19 of the road base 20. The implement is then propelled longitudinally of the road, as in Fig. 5, with the shoe 21 resting on the upper surface of the road base and the arm 18 resting on the vertical side 19 of the road base, and in this position the trench forming member 14 cuts the tranch the desired width and depth; the millboard 17 assists in discharging the material excavated from the trench therefrom, and the portion or tail 16 of the scraper blade 13 removes the. excavated material from the trench to a point a considerable distance from the side of the formed trench.

It is to be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction of the herein described invention within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantaggs of the invention.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus for excavating a trench at the side of a permanent highway base, the same comprising a vehicle, a blade supporting member rigidly suspended therefrom, means between the blade and vehicle and adapted for operation to permit of angular adjustment relatively to the direction of travel of the vehicle and laterally relatively to the highway base, an excavating member depending rigidly from the lower edge of the blade, guide means associated, with the forward end of the member for riding on the side edge of the.highway base, and a shoe associated with said member in proximity to said guide means for riding on the surface of the highway base to limit the depth of cut of said member.

2. An apparatus for excavating a trench at the side of a permanent highway base, the same comprising a vehicle, an excavating member carried thereby, guide means carried by said member for riding on the highway base, to permit a sliding movement between the forward end of the excavating member and the side edge of the highway base, and a shoe carried by said member above said guide means for riding on the surface of said highwa'y base to limit the depth of cut of said member.

3. An apparatus for excavating a trench at the side of a permanent highway base, the same com rising avehicle, a rigid excavating mem er depending therefrom and including a horizontally disposed blade, means for permitting the adjustment of the member at an angle to the direction of travel of said vehicle, said blade provided on its lower edge intermediate of its ends with a depending cutting edge, the forward end'of which falls short of the forward end of the blade, 3, shoe positioned in advance of the direction of travel of the cutting edge for resting on the surface of the permanent highway base to limit the depth of cut of said edge, and a guide member extending rearwardly from the front end of said cutting blade for riding on the side wall of said highway base to provide a means for permitting a relatively easy sliding movement between the forward end of the cutting member and the side of the highway base.

4. An apparatus for excavating a trench at the side of a permanent highway base,

the same comprising a vehicle, an excavating member carried thereby and including a horizontally disposed blade arranged at an angle to the direction of travel of said vehicle, said blade being provided intermediate of its ends with a depending cutting edge, a por tion of said blade in advance of the end of said cutting edge adapted for overlying the highway base and the portion of said blade extending beyond the rear end of said cutting edge adapted to overlie the ground surface andto spread the material excavated by said blade over the ground surface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDERS H. KOPPERUD.

Witnesses N A. AoKER, D. B. Rwmnns. 

